Monthly Archives: November 2013

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Every year, thousands of consumers, automotive industry retailers, and enthusiasts gather at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show. Companies from all over the world gather in Las Vegas for one memorable week which showcases the industry’s newest products, car builds, and more! We were not able to visit this year, but we’ve compiled a preview of what is at the show this year. The pictures in this coverage are sourced from various online sites such as Stancenation, Speedhunters, Autospies, Europeancarweb, and Mercurynews. SEMA draws all types of cars to the show; there are traditional muscle cars and hat rods, completely customized road vehicles, a modified FedEx delivery truck, full race cars, exotic cars and more so there is nearly an endless list of mechanical eye candy to stare at.

First, let us take a look at one of the most popular car of choice for builds this year; the Scion FR-S. Thanks to the large support from the aftermarket industry for this car, it is no doubt that this is a popular platform to build for enthusiasts. There are plenty of FR-S’s at the SEMA show this year.

Aggressive wheels, body kit, and wing seem to be the trending style among the Scion FR-S and Subaru BR-Z crowd.

The Rocket Bunny kit has been quite popular with the FR-S and BR-Z crowd and since they practically the same vehicle, you see the kit on both cars. This blue Vortech Supercharged Subaru BR-Z has on the Rocket Bunny version two kit which was just released not too long ago.

It’s almost rare to see a FR-S or BR-Z without a Rocket Bunny kit these days so it’s a breath of fresh air to see something more different. Check out those fog light housings! We have some similar setups for the stock body vehicle as well.

However, I digress, the Rocket Bunny version two comes with LED daytime running lights arranged in a row which is quite unique. They go very well with the more aggressive styling of the newer kit.

Did we mention there are some pretty cool engine swaps as well at SEMA? The same FR-S above is rocking a single turbo 2JZ-GTE motor from a Toyota Supra instead of the traditional 4 cylinder 4U-GSE that came from the factory.

More 2JZ swaps? Sure why not; this time it’s on the newer 2014 Lexus IS350 Sport. The new Lexus IS models are also quite popular this year as well as the other newer models to hit showroom floors from all the manufacturers.

This VIP Auto Salon and Robert Evans collaboration of the 2014 Lexus IS350 F Sport is quite a looker, aggressive lines and a loud wheel color choice go very well together.

And of course, we have the not-so-aggressive builds such as this A’pexi Lexus IS. Subtle changes to the exterior go a long way.

There is also the new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray on display! The lines are more sharp and straight rather than contoured like the previous models, but it’s definitely not bad looking.

Since SEMA draws a whole variety of builds, it’s not surprising to see fully built race cars sitting at various vendor booths around the convention center. The Evasive Motorsports Scion FR-S is definitely no slouch and is competing in the Global Time Attack/Super Lap Battle event later this month at Buttonwillow Raceway in Southern California.

The aerodynamics on race cars may seem strange and ugly to some, but function over form is preferred by these race teams. The FX Motorsports Acura NSX is a great example of this and is also competing in the Global Time Attack/Super Lap Battle.

Other vehicles like this Nissan GT-R from R-Rydes is sporting a set of LED lights in the front bumper; these seem like daytime running lights to us.

This is just a small sample of all the vehicles and things you would see at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, NV this year. We recommend to check out the websites that these pictures are from for a full and more detailed coverage.

Stay tuned for part 2 of the coverage which should be uploaded tomorrow.

The parking lights are the small miniature lights that are also on with the low beam headlights at night, they serve as lights to be left on while parking (hence the name) and to provide positioning details of the car in the case of the headlight burning out. While they serve the same purpose one every vehicle, the names may differ from make to make; for example the Mercedes-Benz vehicles has them positioned on top of the headlights so it is called an “eyelid light”. Normally, these are regular incandescent halogen bulbs so they produce a yellow glow. This is an eye sore; especially for a Mercedes that comes with factory HID headlights which are bright white. Our LED replacement bulbs for the eyelids are the perfect solution to this problem.

The Mercedes W204 LED eyelid lights we carry are 100% plug and play so no modification is required for installation. The factory size for this W204 C63 AMG is a W5W, otherwise known as 2825/168/194; our 24-SMD 1210 T10 LED Replacement Bulbs are the perfect choice for this application. While these bulbs are slightly longer than the factory bulb so they may not fit in every housing, they fit perfectly in this Mercedes-Benz. These error free LED eyelid lights are very easy to install and works for many other Mercedes-Benz vehicles such as the 2005 E500, 2006 SLK350, and 2008 CLS500.

The built-in resistors on the LED bulb make these error free so they do not flicker or cause any error messages to appear on the dash to state that the bulb has burned out. The color is 6000K Xenon White so it is a perfect match for many of our other LED light. While these were tested on a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, it should also work for many other vehicles that can fit this and require error free bulbs. At 1.43” in length, these are about 1” longer than the traditional T10 bulb you would find on these vehicles so please make sure confirm these will inside the housing before purchasing.

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The factory daytime running light on most vehicles is a standard incandescent halogen bulb which produces a dull yellow color. For most people, they would like to get rid of this light and replace it with a whiter bulb so it matches with their other aftermarket lights such as the parking lights or headlights. However, some may opt to run a deeper and richer color yellow bulb such as these LED 9005 bulbs mimicking the early 2000s style of “JDM yellow”. Thankfully, we have a solution for both the white and yellow colors.

The Lexus GS350 of this generation requires LED canbus decoders to be installed along with the JDM Yellow 9005 LED bulbs to prevent issues such as flickering and error messages. This is included automatically when purchased as our DRL kit. Each DRL kit comes with two 68-SMD 9005 LED high beam daytime lights which are available in either Yellow, Blue, or White; in this article we are showing the Yellow color. The golden yellow color that these bulbs have is perfect for the automotive enthusiast who wants a deeper and richer color version of their factory bulbs and also a bit brighter during DRL mode. However, like all our LED DRL replacement bulbs, the high beam output is greatly reduced so it is recommended for DRL usage only.

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LED interior packages are a great way to improve the light output inside your car at a reasonable cost. LED replacement bulbs are the easiest way to achieve this, but they may not always give you the same amount of output you’re looking for. LED replacement bulbs replace the factory incandescent bulb with an equivalent LED version which allows more light output, but the amount of light that is distributed is still the same. Direct fit LED panel packages are circuit board panels with many LED diodes on it that distribute the light in a very wide pattern and are also brighter which creates a better result.

As seen on this Scion FR-S with our direct fit LED interior package, it gives off much more light output than a regular LED bulb replacement would. This specific package provides exactly 110 SMD LED diodes between the map and trunk light; the front map lights utilize a huge 90-SMD 3020 LED panel for a blinding output and the trunk uses a smaller 20-SMD 3020 LED panel. Our panels are typically only available in 6000K Xenon White, but they are available as Ultra Blue for a select few. Since the Subaru BR-Z is virtually the same car, our Scion FR-S direct fit LED interior package will also work as a Subaru BRZ direct fit led interior package also!

The amount of LED diodes on the panel will vary depending on kits for various vehicles, but it is considerably more than a standard bulb replacement would have. In addition to that benefit, the size of the panel allows the light to shine from a larger surface area. LED panels are noticeably more expensive than the regular standard LED bulb replacements, but the benefits are highly worth it if the need for an ultra-bright cabin light is needed.

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The Honda S2000 was not much of a popular vehicle for extensive light modification as most of them are in the automotive road racing culture which relied on pure mechanical and aero performance. However, we do come across some very clean examples of LED light modifications done on an S2000 such as this specimen. Our Audi Style LED strips are typically installed on the outside, but if you have the proper knowledge, it can be installed inside the headlights like these.

Our 20” long, 21-SMD LED strips have adhesive tape on the back of it that can be used to stick the strip onto any flat and smooth surface. They are usually installed underneath the headlight or on the bumper somewhere, but if you possess the experience to open up your headlights, this can be a result. These lights are available in three colors: Xenon White as this example shows, Ultra Blue, and Amber Yellow.

The side-shine capability allows the LED strip to be installed flat on a surface while allowing the lights to shine forward. This makes these lights very easy to install and configure to suit the needs of various applications. These Honda S2000 headlight LED strips are not for everyone, but we feel like this is a very clean example that many cars can use as an example for their installs.

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